Android Tablets To Surpass iPad Market Share By Mid-2013

A project analyst has hinted at the possibility that the market share of the iPad may be surpassed by the Android tablets in the middle of 2013.

For the past few years, the tablet market has been dominated by the iPad of Apple however the deluge of Android-powered devices has slowly taken a part of its share of the market. Based on the data from IDC, the 87 percent of the market was held by the iPad in third quarter of 2010. However, this market share has gone down to around 50.4 percent in the third quarter of this year.

According Sameer Singh, a mergers and acquisition analyst from Finvista Advisors, Android tablets will likely surpass the market share of the iPad if the current trend continues.

Singh reportedly discovered that the deliveries of Android tablets has better compared to the iPad in six of the past eight quarters. Singh indicated that the third quarter shipments of the iPad suffered a significant drop amidst reports of the iPad Mini. Deliveries of the iPad were expected to increase by at least ten percent in the last quarter, however, it decreased by around eighteen percent.

In comparison shipments for Android tablet has gone up from the first up to the third quarter. This growth is expected to continue in the coming year since a good number of Android manufacturers will likely follow the lead of the inexpensive Amazon Kindle, the analyst indicated. A number of original equipment manufacturers or OEMs have used the Amazon model that expanded its price points, which will increase its market and affect the share of the iPad.

Despite the possible reduction in the market share of the iPad, it is still expected to increase its overall sales in the coming year. Together with the iPhone, the iPad has provided Apple with a net profit of around $8.2 billion for the quarter that ended last September 29.

In addition, sales of the iPad have reached three million units ever since the company launched the iPad Mini recently. Although no specific details were provided, a number of analysts think that the iPad Mini accounted for most of the sales.

But the cost of production of the iPad has affected the profit margin of the company. The iPad Mini reportedly gives a lower than normal profit margin for the company. However, the cost of production is expected to go down after some time, which will increase the profit margin of the company.

Singh also indicted that the Windows RT and the Windows 8 tablet will hardly put a dent on the share of the iPad and Android tablets in the market. 

Android 4.1 Update Set To Be Released To HTC Devices

Android 4.1 Update

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With the recent release of the Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OS through the Google Nexus 7 tablet, it appears that the Android 4.1 update is about to be released to a number of Android-powered devices.

The Android 4.1 update is reportedly set to be released to the HTC One S and the HTC One XL although it was officially announce in Australia for the moment. According to the update list of Telstra, an Australian mobile service provider, the Android 4.1 update is set to be released to the two HTC smartphones.

The mobile service provider indicated that HTC is currently working on the update although no specific release date was revealed. The Android 4.1 update will reportedly be passed on to Telstra for evaluation.

For the moment no other details were released on the availability of the Jelly BeanAndroid OS update for other Android-powered devices. No other mobile service provider has released any statements on the release of the updates for their respective device offerings.

HTC had initially revealed that it was set to release the Android 4.1 update to a number of their devices during the recent I/O conference of Google. The company is reportedly evaluating the software to finalize its plans for the update and is asking users of its devices to simply wait for further announcements on the specific release dates of the Android 4.1 update.

With the announcement of the Android 4.1 update by Telstra, it appears that the Jelly Bean Android is slowly being released even as the Android 4.0 update has yet to be released to most Android-powered devices.

A recent announcement by Google also revealed that it will be releasing the Android 4.1 update to a number of Nexus devices although the specific release dates has yet to be announced by the online search giant.

Android 4.1 OS Ported Into Amazon Kindle Fire

Jelly Bean Android 4.1

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The Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OS was ported recently into an Amazon Kindle Fire by a developer named Hashcode over at the XDA Developers forum.

Although the initial build has a number of issues it has aroused the interest of a number of Amazon Kindle Fire owners since it would bring the features of the latest version of the Android OS into the popular tablet offering of Amazon. Among the issues that affected the initial Android 4.1 OS build affected Wi-Fi connectivity, performance, and the HD codecs.

Despite the risk of turning the Amazon Kindle Fire into a $200 paperweight, the lure of being able to use the features offered by the Jelly Bean Android 4.1 OS into their devices has made the idea appealing to owners of the device. Among the possible features that may come with the Android 4.1 OS porting into the Amazon Kindle Fire is the user interface similar to the one used on the Google Nexus 7 tablet and the opportunity of accessing the Google Play Store without being limited to the Amazon Store.

However it is important to take into consideration the fact that porting the Android 4.1 OS into the Amazon Kindle Fire will void the warranty of the device since it will violate the Terms of Services set by Amazon for the tablet. This means that if the porting is unsuccessful resulting to the bricking of the device, the users will not be able to request for help from the customer support services of the company.

But a life without risks can be a bit boring so some owners of the Amazon Kindle Fire may try to bring the Android 4.1 OS into their devices although they should make sure that they have some experience in the porting process of devices to minimize the risk to a certain degree.

All the relevant information on bringing the Android 4.1 OS into the Amazon Kindle Fire can be found at the XDA Developers forum.

Google Android Tablet May Be Released by May

Google Android Tablet

(Image Credit: pcworld.com)

A seven-inch Android-powered tablet is reportedly in the pipeline for Google that is set to go up against the Amazon Kindle Fire. This upcoming Google Android tablet shows that the internet search giant is aiming to compete with the popular tablet offering of the retail giant.

Although the Amazon Kindle Fire uses the Android OS of Google, which a number of modifications, Google is reportedly collaborating with Asus in creating its own seven-inch Google Android tablet.

The upcoming Google Android tablet will reportedly have a price tag of around $199 up to $249 and may be released into the market by May.

Google had earlier partnered with Samsung for its Nexus smartphones, which was released into the market earlier. Following the release of its smartphone, the internet search giant also looked for a partner in the production of the Google Android tablet.

Previous reports revealed that HTC was not quite interested in offering a low-cost device and wanted to control much of the development of the Google Android tablet. On the other hand Acer lacked the capability of developing the device that fit the needs of Google.

The quality of the products of Asus and its production capacity made it a practical choice for the internet search company. Asus also wanted to make its mark in the tablet market in the United States. The upcoming Google Android tablet is also set to come with the latest Google Play Store although little details were revealed in connection to the device.

While the Google Android tablet awaits its entry into the market, reports have also emerged that Apple will also offer an iPad that will go up against the Amazon Kindle Fire. If these reports are true, Google will have another competitor in the niche that is currently dominated by the tablet offering of Amazon.